METROPOLITAN DENVER HOMELESS INITIATIVE
VOL. 2, ISSUE
A quarterly newsletter brought to you by MDHI
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FIRST QUARTER 2015
The mission of Metropolitan Denver Homeless Initiative (MDHI) is to implement
a comprehensive homeless housing and service continuum of care (CoC) system in the seven county metropolitan region .
Highlights at MDHI
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Welcomed new board members: Bob Froug, Lu Horner, John Kelly, Melanie Lewis-Dickerson, Bob Munroe, and Wendy Schwartz
Brothers Redevelopment awarded 2015 CO DOLA grant to coordinate landlord recruitment campaign for seven county area
OMNI Institute hired to assist with the 2015 Point-in-Time data collection and analysis
Harm Reduction and Housing First trainings scheduled for March and April 2015
Volunteer for the 2015 Point-in-Time Count
The 2015 Point-in-Time (PIT) count is scheduled for Monday, January 26, 2015. Based on past
results the PIT committee is recommending a different approach for the 2015 count
 Past PIT counts:
 Census counts of sheltered/unsheltered population (surveying everyone)
 Included at-risk populations in the count and separated into its own dataset in 2014 report
 Not all counties consistent in where/who they surveyed
 Outcomes show that the CoC did not capture our target population (HUD defined homeless)
on a consistent basis
 Committee Recommendations for 2015:
 Survey only HUD defined sheltered/unsheltered homeless using mixed methodology (census and sampling/extrapolation)
 Transitional housing PIT data from Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)
 Identify common touch points across the continuum of care (CoC)
 Participation of AmeriCorps VISTA members to coordinate volunteers, donated incentives, and touch points
Sign-up to volunteer at: www.mdhi.org
Hiring for a New Beginning—MDHI Employer Community Forum
In December, the MDHI Employment Subcommittee convened more than 80 people to:
 Discuss how to break down barriers to hiring homeless individuals with an offender history
 Connect with new employers who are willing to hire people with offender backgrounds
 Hear from guest speakers about successes and how they overcame barriers to employment
The forum stimulated dialogue on the following topics:
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Work opportunities for hiring homeless individuals with offender backgrounds
Challenges and opposition public agencies face when promoting such opportunities
Key skills and activities needed to prepare offender workers for jobs
AmeriCorps VISTA Project
MDHI welcomed our new VISTA members: MDHI VISTA Leader, Hana Lewis; Adams County, Jackie Gutierrez; Arapahoe/Douglas
Counties, Brian Martin; Boulder/Broomfield Counties, Sharyl Carter; Denver County, Josh Garland; and Jefferson County, Maryjane
Carr.
The VISTA team is working across the region to build capacity by:
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Providing coordination for the 2015 Point –in-Time count
Assisting in development of the regional landlord campaign
Contributing to the Coordinated Assessment and Housing Placement System (CAHPS)
Building local and regional capacity in other areas to address housing instability and homelessness
Project Sites: Adams County Housing Authority, City/County of Denver, City of Boulder, and Family Tree
Thank you to our project sites and supervisors for making our AmeriCorps VISTA Project a reality!
Gary Sanford—Executive Director
Rebecca Mayer—Program Coordinator
Joe Baker—Data Coordinator
Hana Lewis—VISTA Leader
Interns: Amanda Trujillo, Emily Samora
Volunteers: Brian Garrett, Elizabeth
Sterlacci
Metropolitan Denver Homeless Initiative
711 Park Avenue West, Suite 320,
Denver, CO 80205
www.mdhi.org, 303-295-1772
Twitter: @M_D_H_I
Special thanks to our investors and partners:
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
Butler Family Fund
City and County of Denver
Mile High United Way
The Denver Foundation
Enterprise Foundation
Housing and Homeless Funders Collaborative
US Department of Housing and Urban Development